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Protein supplementation, contrary to common beliefs
shared by many of my college and university colleagues, is of great benefit to all
exercisers. The research backing the benefits can no longer be ignored --
particularly concerning whey protein.

Positive Nitrogen BalanceThe physiological principles of protein
supplementation are simple: Exercise grows muscle, period. Protein
supplementation provides a positive environment for the muscle to grow. Protein
supplementation without exercise will not produce muscle growth. Supplementation
provides a positive nitrogen balance in the body. Negative nitrogen balance puts the
body in a catabolic state (muscle cannibalism), the state that most exercisers are in when
they do not use protein supplements correctly. Amino acids (building blocks of
protein) in the right amounts are necessary for the anabolic state (muscle growth).
As we
age, we lose muscle on a slow, consistent basis if we do not take the steps necessary to
prevent the loss. Muscle is metabolically active and the slow loss of muscle contributes
to our fat stores.

Vegetarian diets are notoriously low in protein.
Vegetables contain protein but in the wrong ratios (bcaa's - branch chain amino acids) to
maintain a positive nitrogen balance. Generally, consuming any and all foodstuffs without protein
supplementation will not provide the positive environment needed to grow muscle.
And, it will
not keep you from losing muscle if you exercise aerobically (activities that require
oxygen) or anaerobically (activities that do not require oxygen).

There is an exception to
the above statement: If you consume mass quantities of egg whites
or other high protein foods (of animal origin) regularly you may stay in
a positive nitrogen balance (when involved in a consistent exercise
program). Unfortunately, the biological value of animal protein is
not as good as whey protein due to the side effects of cooking,
injection of hormones, steroids, and genetic altering by our
agricultural industry.

AerobicsAerobic activities make your body need extra protein
because you are creating a negative nitrogen balance. Have you ever noticed distance
runners with well developed butt, thighs, and calves but comparatively small upper bodies?
If you deplete your muscles of glycogen (fuel formed from carbohydrates), the body
literally eats its own muscle (mainly upper body in this case) for fuel.
Losses of
protein in sweat, respiration, and hemolysis (death of red blood cells) increase
dramatically as you exercise.

Burn patients and those experiencing other traumas
display the side effects of severe muscle loss. Their protein requirements are as high as athletes in
intense training. People in this desperate state have suppressed immune systems.
Proper protein intake can help enhance the immune system.

Recommended Daily
Allowances (RDAs) for Protein IntakeStudies prior to 1974 used sedentary individuals
confined to metabolic wards as subjects for protein studies. As a result, most
colleagues I mentioned before "hang their hats" on the Recommended Daily
Allowances (RDAs). The RDA equates to approximately .36 grams of protein per pound of
bodyweight. Uninformed professors, physicians, nutritionists, and dieticians who are
funded by the meat and dairy industries still encourage you to eat their high fat products
for protein fulfillment. If the proteins you eat are inadequate or inferior, the
structures of your body may be inadequate and inferior. Because of the RDA's being
set at such a low range, it is easy for us to reach the .36 grams per pound of body weight
by consuming high fat meat and dairy products.

Dr. I. Gontzea and colleagues at the Institute of
Medicine in Bucharest were the first to show in 1974 that exercising bodies need more than
the RDA. For two weeks they gave sedentary athletes (not in training at the time of
the study) .48 grams of protein per pound of body weight. That amount is 72 grams for a
150-pound person, equating to 33 percent more than the RDA. They stayed in a
positive nitrogen balance. After the two week sedentary period, they instructed the
athletes to exercise for two hours per day. Nitrogen balance dropped to negative
within two days. Protein intake one third higher than the RDA put them into the
catabolic state when they exercised two hours a day.

Dr. Gontzea then fed protein to another group of
athletes in amounts twice the RDA of .72 grams per pound of body weight, which is 108
grams for a 150-pound person. As long as they remained sedentary, their nitrogen
balance stayed positive. When they began exercising for two hours a day, it took
four days for their nitrogen balance to drop to the negative status.

A study conducted at Tufts University by Dr. William
Evans and colleagues showed that men who exercise regularly and moderately (less than two
hours/day) in endurance sports such as swimming, running, and/or cycling need about .64
grams of protein per pound of body weight on days of exercise, equating to 96 grams for a
150 pound person.

Dr. Peter Lemon, a leading researcher in the area of
protein found that endurance athletes need 25-50 percent more protein than the RDA,
dependent upon the intensity and duration of the activity.

A study reported in The Physician and Sports
Medicine showed that weight trainers (those who spend lots of time in the gym) need
protein at a rate of 438 percent higher than the RDA to keep them in a positive nitrogen
balance, equating to about two grams per pound of body weight; 300 grams for a 150-pound
person.

Dr. Michael Colgan at The Colgan Institute in
California created a guide for us to follow for protein supplementation.
It is based on
activity levels and body weight shown in table 21-1 below.

Table 21-1
-- Sports Training Category

Daily
Protein Requirements for Athletes (in grams)

Body
Weight/Pounds1

Class 1

Class 2

Class 3

88

80

68

56

110

100

85

70

132

120

102

84

154

140

119

98

176

160

136

112

198

180

153

126

220

200

170

140

242

220

187

154

264

240

204

168

Table 21-1 above taken from
Optimum Sports
Nutrition, pg. 151: Used by permission from Advanced Research Press and The Colgan
Institute.

Dr. Colgan defines Class 1 sports as those that
demand strength first, then speed, then endurance. Class I includes weight training, shot
put, javelin, discus, and men's gymnastics. Class 2 sports are those that demand speed
first, then strength, then endurance. Sprints of all kinds, jumping, boxing, wrestling,
karate, judo, women's gymnastics, and most ball games are in this class.
Class 3 sports
are those in which endurance dominates. These include middle and long distance running,
triathlons, cross-country skiing, cycling, racquetball, and tennis.

Dr. Colgan adds that this system is for competition
athletes and is based on maximum training levels of three hours per day or more. He
says that if you put in only one to two hours per day, you need less protein and,
therefore, need to move one class to the right. If you are already in Class 3, then
move to the next lower bodyweight.

Dr. Colgan continues to say that the most amount of
muscle gain they have measured in a year is 18.25 pounds in drug-free athletes.

Which Protein Is Best?Egg whites, turkey, chicken, beef, etc. have low biological values (BV) compared to
whey protein supplements. The side effects of cooking
causes cross-linking which is a form of oxidation. It causes an undesirable bond between
nucleic acids and proteins (free radical
activity). You are consuming damaged
protein.

Well-processed whey hydrolysate (pre-digested) is by
far the best protein on the market. It has the highest BV of any protein.
BV
is the measure that scientists use to rate how well nitrogen is absorbed into
muscles. Studies show that whey hydrolysate is much more effective than free form
amino acids, soy, egg whites, and casein proteins.

Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)Whey protein contains all of the essential and nonessential
amino acids and has the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) in the highest
concentrations found in nature (as in animal protein). The BCAAs make up one third of muscle protein.
L-Leucine, L-Valine, and L-Isoleucine make up the BCAAs. L-Leucine is used up
faster than L-Valine or L-Isoleucine. Therefore, L-Leucine should make up the
highest content of the three in the protein supplement you choose. Most
whey
supplements have been formulated based on
this science. Space your protein consumption throughout the day. Some people
have a hard time digesting more than 30 grams of protein per sitting.

If you are not taking in enough protein, you will
know by watching your bodyweight and circumferential measurements drop without a drop in
body fat. If you are getting too much, you may experience the side
effects of low back
pain and feelings of malaise. If you do not want to chance this discomfort,
you may want to have
a blood test for urea called blood urea nitrogen (BUN) during the time you are
taking protein. Some labs call it Urea Nitr for short or Urea Nitrogen. The
normal range varies from lab to lab. Some say 4-24 milligrams per deciliter
(mg./dl.) and others say 7-25 mg./dl. Dr. Richard Passwater suggests that a BUN over
21 mg./dl. indicates poor health. My BUN measured 15 mg./dl. on July 22, 1995 while
in the midst of consuming 85-160 grams of protein per day. I never experienced low
back pain or feelings of malaise. If these symptoms or side effects happen to you, lower your
protein consumption. After a while, you will excrete the excess and perk back up
nicely.

High BUN can also be caused by dehydration.
If
you are NOT urinating every three hours, you might want to consider bumping-up your
water consumption.

Dangerous Iron LevelsBeware of many of the protein
supplements on the market. Many contain dangerous levels of iron (heart
disease can be a side effect) particularly as you increase your protein intake. Others have higher-than-needed ratios
of carbohydrate to protein. This means you would have to consume a lot of
carbohydrates to get your needed protein, thus, over-loading you with unnecessary
calories from carbohydrates.

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